Soul Eater: Unsound Souls
by Cools-The-Calm
Summary: The Death Weapon Meister Academy, or DWMA for short, has had a long and illustrious career for decades. Kishin Asura seems like he's gone for good, so what now? A lot of things actually... The DWMA has been receiving a ton of new rookies, and only a few are destined to stand out among the rest. Destiny, however, is something that needs to be worked towards...
1. Intro: Dart D Cay

_Mom, I'm leaving. I'm… Really gonna miss you. By the time you read this, I'm already on my way there. It's kinda personal. If I tried to explain it, you wouldn't understand. I might come back someday, I just have to accomplish something I promised to do a long time ago. Until then, so long…_

The letter was short, brief, and straight to the point. He kept it that way for his own sake. A 'real man' doesn't go back on his promises, so he couldn't afford to get too emotionally tied up, and regret his decision. The letter was written by a mere twelve-year old boy, by the name of Dart D. Cay, who intended to leave for the Death Weapon Meister Academy in the dead of night.

Dart, with his face stained with tears of regret, sprinted towards the train station very early in the morning. In his pocket, he carried some of his college savings from his bank account, which would carry him as far as Death City, Nevada. Not daring to look anyone in the eye, he quickly handed the money to the man at the train station, and got his ticket to his destination.

As he got his seat on the Express, he took a seat near the window. The skies were painted with cold, grey clouds, reflecting his own emotions at the time. His face was pressed against the glass, looking at the landscapes and towns that passed by.

"Hey." Dart blinked, barely registering what was being said to him. He continued to stare blankly at the passing towns.

"Uh… Hello?" Dart didn't respond. He was in a too foul of a mood to talk.

"Hey." The passenger repeated once more. He, or she, snapped their fingers by Dart's face. He shook his head, and looked at the person sitting across from him.

"H-huh?" Dart stuttered. He turned his head, and saw someone sitting in the seat across from his. He did feel a bit rude for ignoring the passenger.

"Mind if I sit here?" He said. He was a teen, around sixteen-seventeen years of age. He carried a withered red notebook with him, and a couple pencils. His hair was red and rugged, and he wore a brown jacket and shorts.

"Uh…" Dart wondered for a moment if that guy seemed like a good influence. "Y-yeah, no problem!" He said, trying to sound at least a friendly and approachable guy.

"Cool." He said, simply. "Alright, I can tell you're not good at starting conversations, so I'll start." He said.

"What's your name?" He asked. It came straight out of the blue, catching Dart off-guard. Quickly, he lied.

"C-Clyde. I mean Kyle." Dart said quickly, his eyes shifting left and right.

"Where ya headed, Clyde-I mean Kyle?" He said, poking fun at his awkward introduction.

"Chic-New- I mean… Las Vegas. I wanna hit it rich!" Dart said, trying to sound confident, as sweat was beginning to form at his forehead.

"...Okay. Where do ya come from?" He asked, who seemed to be slowly becoming aware of Dart's obvious lying.

"_Yikes, he's onto me! Better make this one sound legit._" He thought to himself. "Neverland." He blurted out.

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, the Stranger's face turned red, and he covered his mouth with his hand. It took Dart a moment to realize the Stranger was laughing at him. He reacted about as well as an emotionally distraught sixth-grader can react.

"H-hey! What's so funny?!" He said, about to jump from his seat.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… But you're a terrible liar." The Stranger said. Dart facepalmed as he realized how not-legit his long string of lies was. "Neverland?! What was I smoking…?" Dart thought to himself as he pouted.

"Alright, alright, if you're really that uncomfortable, let me start. My name is…" The Stranger began.

"Skreeeeeee….." Dart felt his stomach lurch as the Express came to a halt.

"Ah shoot… This is my stop. See ya later, Clyde-I-mean-Kyle!" The Stranger said, standing up and walking out of his seat and towards the door. Dart facepalmed again and groaned, he had made a complete fool of himself, once more. As Dart lifted his head up, he noticed something. He looked in the aisles to see if the Stranger was still on the Express, to Dart's disappointment, he was nowhere in sight. "Crap…" He muttered to himself.

Dart opened up a window, and saw the Stranger leaving to some unknown place. Dart cupped his hands together in front of his mouth and yelled. "Dude, you forgot your notebook!" He said, waving the notebook around frantically. His head jolted left and right, desperately searching for the Stranger. It was then that he heard a voice cry:

"It's all yours, kid!" It was the Stranger's voice, he was certain of it. Dart pulled his head back from the window, and stared at the red notebook. The stranger left a simple black pen by his seat as well. Dart instinctively opened up to a random page.

Note to self: Smile more. It makes the people around you happy.

Dart didn't know what, but something intrigued him about the notebook. He flipped to another page, and another, each one filled to the brim with wisdom and knowledge. Hours went by as Dart flipped through the almost-endless notebook. Eventually, when the jolly Sun began to fade, and the smug Moon began to rise, Dart's weary eyes grew heavy as the Express chugged along it's path.

"Skreeeee…" Dart peered out the window as the Express finally stopped. His jaw dropped as he saw it. Death City, in all it's glory. Dart forced his tired body to run towards the exit. A long, sandy run separated him from the city. Nothing could stop him now. His worn gym shoes filled with sand, making his toes itch. He could see the large candlelit flames from the DWMA as he got closer.

After a grueling jog, Dart took a moment to catch his breath. Death City was everything he had imagined. He took a deep breath, and released all his contained excitement.

"_Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaah! I made it! I'm in Death City! Woooooooooooooooo-!_" Before he could finish his victory ceremony, he accidentally inhaled a bit of sand, causing him to cough vigorously.

**Author's note: Okay, first chapter DONE. A little heads-up, the majority of the story will not be 12-year old Dart, but 14-year old Dart after a timeskip, because let's face it, a 12-year old meister would be pretty ridiculous. To clarify the time period, this part takes place around a little bit before Soul Eater NOT, and the timeskip will take place shortly after the Kishin's defeat in the anime.**

**(Post Timeskip)**

**Name: Dart D. Cay**

**Age: Fourteen**

**Gender: Male**

**Appearance: Dart has blue-green eyes, with black, unkempt, spiky hair. He is 5'3'' feet tall. He wears a dark-grey jacket with a T-Shirt underneath with a target on it.**

**Personality: Dart is a semi-outgoing guy. He tries to fit in with 'The Cool Crowd', but fails constantly because of his goofball-ish behavior.**

**History: Dart ran away from home because of personal reasons to join the Death Weapon Meister Academy. Otherwise, not much is known about this otherwise normal Meister.**

**Other: He has somewhat limited use of Soul Force, and can only use it in short bursts. His muscles are strong enough to lift a decent-sized weapon, but his body is still light enough to do neat acrobatic tricks.**

Here's an image for reference. I'm kind of a bad artist. Sorry guys! 3X Also, Dart originated from an ongoing RP, so there may be minor spoilers.

Soul-Eater-OC-Dart-D-Cay-item?id=143370212


	2. Intro: Alice Robinson

_"Once you come-of-age, you will be sent to the Death Weapon Meister Academy to become the fulfill your destiny! Marvelous, isn't it?"_ These words were said to a girl named Alice Robinson two years ago, when she was ten. The man let out a hearty laugh as he said this, as the same girl from two years obediently nodded, not daring to question the order of her superior.

Today, that girl is twelve years old. The day that she was told was coming finally came. It was her first time on a plane, and Alice was certainly feeling uneasy, but she tried her best to maintain her composure. To take the edge off, she looked out the window. Slow-moving clouds came and went, Alice groaned. It was either subjecting herself to the torture of watching clouds pass by, or the sheer anxiety of being thousands of feet in the air. "_Pick your poison, Alice._" She thought to herself.

Looking for yet another distraction, she unzipped her neatly-organized backpack, and pulled out a nonfiction book titled To be a Weapon, a large handbook detailing the 'proper' way to behave as a Weapon. She practically lived by the rules of the book, because this is her 'destiny'.

"Would you like a beverage, Ma'am?" Alice jolted, briefly surprised. She looked up from her book and saw a female Flight Attendant. Her face reddened from embarrassment. Normally, she was the one fulfilling orders, now the power was in her hands for once.

"Yes please. A glass of Grape Juice would be nice." She replied, quickly looking down back into her book. The Flight Attendant shortly arrived back with her requested Grape Juice. Alice sipped the Grape Juice from a straw as she sat comfortably in her seat.

It was then that it struck her. At the DWMA, getting a meister was not an option, it was practically required, the thought sent a chill up her spine. "_Perhaps I could pass for an autonomous weapon like Justin Law? No, that wouldn't work. Nobody would fall for that."_ Alice thought, becoming more worried. There was no way she could pass as an autonomous weapon. Her weapon form was as basic as basic can get; a sword, one of the easiest weapons to pick up and wield. She facepalmed into her glove, and shook her head. Her goal was to become a Death Scythe ASAP, she couldn't be held back by dead weight.

Alice shut the book, and closed her eyes. She tried to imagine a world without having so much responsibility shifted onto her. As a child, it felt nice for her to imagine such a fantasy, but now? That fantasy is really what it is: a fantasy, and nothing more. As her eyes remained shut, she slowly lost consciousness, and drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

"_L..ies, G..tlemn, y..r des…tion has b..n r...ched… Death City, Nevada._" A male voice spoke over the Plane's intercom. Alice, barely awake, could barely interpret what he was saying, but she very clearly heard the last three words, she jolted awake, rushing towards the exit, pushing through multiple persons on the way, but not before apologizing several times as she did so.

As Alice stepped out of the Plane, she took a moment to breathe, and absorb some fresh air. She shut her eyes, and took a deep breath, in… and out. "Okay, I've made it this far. Now, how do I get to Death City?" She asked herself. She decided to look around the Airport a bit for a means of transportation. People of all races wandered the Airport, minding their own business.

"_Hey, hey! Get your souvenirs over here! Buy it now, folks!_" Alice turned around and saw a vendor selling a variety of wares. One item in particular stood out to her, however. She jogged over to the outdoor shop to see if her eyes were telling the truth. The Vendor looked a tad shady, but that wasn't exactly her greatest concern as of now.

"How much for the Scooter?" Alice asked the Vendor, straight to the point. The Scooter was colored white and green, with a brown helmet and blue-tinted goggles attached. From the looks of it, it was powered by Electricity.

"Three-Hundred Fifty Dollars." He said, with a strange kind of smile on his face. Alice glared at the man, and reached into her backpack. Her father had given her quite a bit of money to sustain herself with. From her backpack, she pulled out a hefty amount of Pounds (Am I using that term right?) and gave it to the Vendor. She wasn't exactly sure of the conversion of British Pounds to US Dollars, but she was sure it was enough. The Vendor gave her a quizzical look, and then nodded.

"It's all yours, kid." For once in a long time, Alice smiled. She gladly hopped onto the Scooter, and revved up the engine. The engine vibrated as Alice put on the Helmet and Goggles. She smirked as her eyes narrowed, determining her destination. Within seconds, she took off with a trail of dust, zooming across the airport, and having the time of her life. She did zig-zags and loops, and all sorts of tricks, before finally leaving towards her destination, Death City.

**Author's Note: Okay, first thing's first. Let's get something out of the way, Alice is British. I hope I'm portraying her in a way that doesn't offend anybody. Feel free to correct me if I get some details about English culture wrong. Constructive Criticism is welcome.**

**Name: Alice Robinson**

**Age: Fourteen**

**Gender: Female**

**Appearance: Alice has straight blonde hair that extends beyond her neck. Her eyes are green, and she wears a light-green DWMA uniform, with a button that has Lord Death's signature symbol on it.**

**History: Alice comes from a long line of Swords and Blades, and was enrolled into the DWMA to ensure that she lives up to her 'destiny' of living up to the Robinson name.**

**Other: Alice's battle skills are somewhat limited, as her physical body is in shape, but still very frail. In a pinch, however, she can undergo a partial transformation, and fight without a Meister by turning one of her arms into a blade.**

Here's an image for reference, but be warned, I'm not a great artist. Alice also originates from an ongoing RP, so there may be minor spoilers in the description here and there.

Soul-Eater-OC-Alice-Robinson-item?id=141517207


	3. Prelude to Adventure

Dart could barely control his excitement as he ran towards the academy at full speed. "_Lord Death would be happy to have a fresh, young volunteer like myself… Right?_" Dart thought to himself. To be honest, he wasn't completely sure he was meister material, at least not yet. But there was no time for doubting now, he couldn't turn back. Once he had reached the academy grounds, he ran straight ahead to the entrance. Various students gave him a weird look, but he couldn't care less. As he was dashing through the halls, he saw a reception desk. He skidded to a halt and turned to face the old lady running it.

"Which way is the Death Room?" Dart asked, panting as he spoke.

"Second floor, at the end of the hallway." She said in a gruff voice.

"Thanks!" Dart said, and like that, he was off without a moment's hesitation.

"…Weird kid." The reception lady muttered.

* * *

"_Oh my god, it's happening. This is real!_" Dart thought, as he bolted down the pathway of gates in the Death Room. He could see Death's black, shadowy figure up ahead, and his Death Scythe, Spirit Albarn.

* * *

"Hey, do you see something?" Spirit asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Hold on a second." Lord Death pulled a telescope from seemingly nowhere, and adjusted the focus. "Hmm…."

"What is it? C'mon, don't leave me in the dark." Spirit said, trying to grab hold of the telescope.

"It looks like a student…" Lord Death commented.

"Okay, so?" Spirit questioned.

"The thing is, I don't recall seeing him around the academy, ever." Lord Death said, shrugging. He could see a boy running, no, sprinting straight towards them. From what he could see, the boy had messy black hair almost resembling a spiky afro with light, slightly tanned white skin. Fitting his bed-head hairstyle, he appeared to be wearing pajamas.

"You can't be serious! A good headmaster knows all of his students." Spirit said condescendingly, snatching the telescope from Lord Death.

"Well, who is it?" Lord Death asked, tilting his head.

"Oh, I know this one. It's uh…. Uh…" Spirit said, snapping his fingers, looking for the right words.

"So you really don't know that student, Spirit?" Lord Death said. If someone could see his face, there would be a satisfied smirk on it.

"I never said that! Like I said it's, uh…" Spirit fired back, refusing to back down with his argument.

"Spirit." Lord Death said, as the aforementioned student was now in front of them.

"Hold on, I'm telling you I know this! It's-" Spirit began, before being interrupted.

"Hi Lord Death! Can I call you that? Do people call you that? Oh god, that must've sounded weird, sorry! Anyways, -" The child quickly shook Lord Death's comically oversized hand, and he spoke in an overexcited tone.

"Hold on, there, sonny." Lord Death putting his hands out in front of him. He could feel a bead of sweat form beneath his mask. "How about you slow down a bit?" Lord Death said.

Dart chugged down a water bottle before beginning to speak, he let out a refreshed 'Ah' as he opened his mouth.

"It's a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge, _huuuuuuuge_ honor to meet you in person, Lord Death. Anyways, my name's D-"

"Derek! It's Derek, right?" Spirit suddenly interrupted. Lord Death glared at him, and Dart merely shrugged.

"Kinda close, I guess. It's Dart D. Cay! So, can I join the DWMA, or what?" He asked, with wide eyes.

"Well, you certainly have enthusiasm. Before we can enroll you, I need to ask you a few questions, sound alright?" He asked.

"No problem!" He yelped.

"First off, how much combat experience do you have?"

"None." He replied honestly. So far, this wasn't exactly a good start.

"Do you have any experience using a weapon?" Lord Death asked, hoping he would get a good answer this time.

"Do Nerf guns count?" Dart asked. Lord Death shook his head.

"Have you ever studied human souls in the past?" Lord Death asked, crossing his fingers.

"Nah." Dart said, scratching his head.

"_He's a strange one, alright._" Lord Death thought to himself. Before he could speak, Spirit began talking.

"Sorry kid, you're just not cut out to be a meister," He said, in a somewhat cold tone of voice.

"What? Please, Death Scythe, I'm sorry! Please let me enroll at the academy pleaaaaaase-!" Dart said, begging on his knees.

"You didn't let me finish." Spirit said. "I said, you're not cut out to be a meister _yet._" He said, smiling down at Dart. The spark in the boy's eyes returned once more.

"Yes! Yes! _Yeeeeeeeesss!_ You guys are the best!" Dart said, raising his fists in the air triumphantly.

"Alright, alright, relax kid. I'm guessing you're like, twelve, right? For now, we're going to put you in a training program for about two years. Now, you are to take this thing very seriousl-" Spirit said, but in an instant, Dart was practically skipping out of the Death Room. Spirit sighed.

* * *

As the scooter pulled up to the academy grounds, it caught the attention of many. Alice, however, had other things in mind than something as trivial as popularity. She parked her scooter and helmet by a bike rack, and calmly walked towards the entrance of the school. "Let's get this over with." Alice thought. Quick and professional was her style.

As she walked in, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a map of the school. Without looking up from the map, she followed the exact directions to the Death Room.

"_Oof!_" For a moment, Alice looked up. A spineless-looking teenager with blonde hair was looking down at her.

"You look kind of lost, little girl, you need any help?" That remark certainly set Alice off. 'Little', how much more condescending and smug can you get with that? Alice merely gave him a look and walked past him. Alice could see the Death Room, and with that she closed the map, and took a slow breath.

"_Just try not to be intimidated by Death…_" She thought. Alice had never met Lord Death in person, nor had she ever seen what he looked like. When she imagined him, she saw a frightening figure who delivered terrifying justice to his opposers. She shook her head, and tried her very best not to show fear.

"She's supposed to have been here by now. Where is she?" Spirit asked. Lord Death merely shrugged. "If you're gonna take the time to plan an appointment with Death himself, at least show up on time…" Spirit said, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Oh, have a little bit of mercy, Spirit, we're talking about a child here." Lord Death said towards the pouting Spirit.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Spirit muttered, crossing his arms.

"Oh, here she is now." Lord Death said, looking down the long path that led to the center of the girl's eyes were cold, almost a little disturbing for someone of her age. Her skin was fair and light, devoid of tan or freckles, and neat, blonde hair that extended beyond her neck. She wore a beige sweater and a light-green skirt.

"I apologize on behalf of my late appearance, Lord Death. I came to talk to you about my enrollment here at the academy." She said, her eyes staring directly into Lord Death's soul.

"Right, right. It says on your application form here that you're…" Death said, inexplicably pulling out a pair of reading glasses. "Twelve years old? My my, that's quite a young age to start at!" Once again, her age was now suddenly important.

"I'm a capable weapon, Lord Death. It would be wise not to underestimate me." Alice said, in somewhat of a passive-aggressive tone. Lord Death put his hands up defensively.

"Okay, okay, don't worry, I believe you. Before we enroll you, however, we need to do a quick test. This will determine if your soul is compatible with other meisters or not. Start off by transforming into your sword form, please." Lord Death said, trying his best not to get on her bad side.

"_A test? This should be no problem. Not at all._" Alice thought to herself in denial, growing increasingly nervous. She flipped backwards and turned into her weapon form midair. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best.

"_Hrrrrrrgh! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_" Alice felt her sword form shake as she opened her eyes. Alice watched in horror as the great and powerful Lord Death was struggling to lift her off the ground.

"W-what's wrong?" Alice asked anxiously, losing her composure.

"Alice…" Lord Death's voice turned quiet. "Your soul, I'm afraid, isn't compatible."

"What?! Why not?!" Alice said, growing distraught.

"Calm down, calm down, it's not permanent. Your soul just needs a bit of 'tweaking' before you can be properly wielded by a meister." Lord Death explained.

Alice crossed her arms. "How long?" She asked.

"It's a pretty long process, at least two years." Spirit said bluntly.

"Two years?! I can't wait that long! There has to be a loophole, right? A way around it?" Alice said, desperately bargaining. Lord Death shook his head sadly.

"If you want to be a weapon here at the academy, I'm afraid there's no way around it." His voice was now deep, in contrast with the silly voice from before.

"…I'll do it." Alice said begrudgingly. With that, she turned around and walked towards the exit without another word.

* * *

It was approximately four o'clock in the afternoon. Classes had ended long ago. Dart held onto a slip of paper with something written on it: 'Room 013 after school.'. Dart shoved the note into his pocket, and walked to the room with a sense of uneasiness.

"_Ding dong ding… Dong ding ding ding…_" The sound echoed throughout the hallway. It sounded as if someone was imitating the sound of a bell. As Dart got closer to room #013, the sound got quieter. Carefully, he tiptoed across the halls to silence his footsteps.

Once he had reached the door, he peeked his head to see if anyone was there. "_The coast is clear…. Or at least I hope._" He placed one foot into the room and-

"_GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_" Without warning, something burst from the floor with a deathly cry. Dart fell over onto the ground, fearful for his own life. The next words to come out of the strangers mouth weren't what Dart expected.

"Did I surprise you? Sorry, I'm not the kind of man to pull pranks on kids." The man said calmly. The man in front of him was wearing full camouflage gear and black boots and gloves. He had dark skin, and black hair that went down to his neck.

"You're Sid?" Dart asked, still on the ground. In Dart's childhood, there was a period in which he was obsessed with the DWMA. He still is today, albeit to a somewhat lesser degree. He had learned the name of every teacher and every Death Scythe eventually, but it took him months.

"That's Mr. Barett to you, kid. Lord Death told me that you're Dart D. Cay, right?" Sid questioned.

"Y-yeah." Dart said, standing up and dusting himself off. He felt his heartbeat become stable again.

"Okay, now that we've got introductions in order. We can start your training now." Sid said. "Awesome! First day here, and I already get a cool job!" Dart thought.

"Help me fix up this floor before anyone notices." Said Sid. Dart shrugged. "_It's something._" Dart thought to himself, rather disappointed.

* * *

Alice walked through the dimly-lit streets of Death City. She had one instruction given to her by Lord Death.

"_After school ends, go to the Patchwork Lab on the outskirts of the city, you'll know when you see it._" He told Alice. What kind of vague statement is that? Her eyes shifted left and right, she could swear she was hearing noises. She looked straight ahead and tried to ignore it as best as she could.

"_Caw caw!_" Alice quickly turned one of her arms into a blade, looking around for whomever was stalking her at this hour. Her fear was relieved when she realized it was just a mere crow. However, for safety measures, she still kept her arm in blade form.

When she saw it, Alice stopped in her tracks. It was secluded from the rest of the city, and now Alice could see why. It was disorderly and overall very creepy. Alice took her time as she walked up to the entrance of the Patchwork Lab. Her feet trembled in her sturdy black boots as she stood at the entrance. She forced her shaky hand to become a fist as she knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly with a long 'creak'. Although she was quite literally, quaking in her boots, she cleared her throat and tried to eliminate all traces of fear within her. The man's face in front of her was obstructed by smoke, and he was wearing a messy labcoat. Alice coughed as she got closer the smoke. His skin was pale, almost ghostly. The man waved his hand in front of his face to clear the smoke. Now that Alice could see, she could tell that he was wearing thick, circle-shaped glasses preventing view of his eyes.

"You're here for the wavelength matching, right?" He asked in a monotone voice.

"Y-yes. I'm Alice Robinson-" She began.

"Yes, yes, I already got that part. Lord Death told me the details. Come in, it's cold outside." Said the mad doctor. Alice, already having her doubts about the supposed teacher, reluctantly walked in. The room was lit by a pink glow coming from two lone candles. Besides a small, red carpet in the center of the room, there was no furniture in the room whatsoever.

"Sit down." He said, rather abruptly. Alice quickly did as he said, sitting on the edge of the carpet, already beginning to feel unnerved.

"You should really fix that, you know." The professor said, sitting on the opposite end of the carpet.

"Fix what?" Alice said, defensively. The past few days had been strange for her. All of a sudden she was going from the elite to the rookie within the blink of an eye. This sudden role reversal had not been faring well for her own self-esteem.

"Your tension. It's only the first day and just by the way you're sitting, I can tell you're nervous. Relax a little." He said reassuringly. Alice positioned herself into a meditating pose, and closed her eyes, taking slow breaths. She could already feel her stress and anxiety slowly fade, and her soul wavelength was beginning to ease.

"_Pleased to meet you, Alice. I'm Professor Stein._" He said. Although Alice could not see it, he could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

**Author's Notes: Okay, this is probably going to be the last chapter taking place pre-timeskip, the next chapter will take place about a month or so after the Kishin's defeat in the anime. Sorry for all the Perspective changes. Since this is before the actual series, Sid isn't a zombie yet. Anyways, constructive criticism is welcome as always. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Training from Hell

The sky was clear blue. The sun was laughing cheerfully, emitting rays of intense heat. No clouds were in view, providing a pure view of the horizon. And Dart was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down nervously.

"J-jump? C'mon, Mister Barett, you're jokin' right?" A twelve-year old Dart turned to face his mentor, his face turning pale. Sid merely shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Nope." He replied calmly. "You want to be an academy student, don't you?" He asked sternly, tilting his head and awaiting a response. Dart stood frozen in fear, sucking in his gut as he continued to stare down at the long drop.

"No no, it's alright." Sid said, faking sincerity. "Of course, I understand. You're just _chicken."_ In moments, the words hit Dart like a bullet. He didn't come this far just to be labeled as a coward. Dart spun around in an instant.

"_Hey!_ Keep your mouth shut! I'm not scared!" Dart stomped his foot, causing the ground beneath him to crumble, although he was far too angry to notice. "If you want me to jump so badly, _I will!_ Hell, I'll do it right no- _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_ Dart yelped as he fell backwards off the cliff. His hair flowing in the rushing winds obstructed his vision as he desperately flailed his arms, hoping to grab onto some kind of branch. Directly above him, Dart could see Sid standing at the edge of the cliff looking down at him, before turning and walking away.

"_M-Mister Barett! Don't go! I'm sooooory!" _ He helplessly cried as he shut his eyes and braced himself for impact. What would come first, the '_crack' _ that would come from his back as his spine broke in two? Or would he taste the thick, crimson red blood spilling from his mouth? Perhaps both?

As it turned out, neither. he felt an urge to scratch his nose as a single blade of grass brushed against it. Dart blinked several times, before realizing he was suspended in midair by… Something. He looked over his shoulder to see that his body was being held up by very thin strings.

"_THUD" _Within the blink of an eye, Sid crashed to the ground, leaving a crater where he stood. "Congratulations," Began Sid. "you passed." He said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah! I passed! Wait, what did I do?" Dart was indeed grateful that he passed, but in all honesty, he had no clue what he actually did.

"You jumped off the cliff. AKA, you trusted me. Trust is the foundation of any kind of friendship."

"Heh, yeah, guess I did." Dart said, he felt a little strange inside accepting his 'reward' for what was actually a fluke, but hey, if the shoe fits.

"Uh… Mr. Barett?" Dart asked, his face turning as red as a ripe rich raw tomato. "I'm kinda stuck." He attempted to struggle his way out of the thin, yet somehow incredibly durable spider web, dangling him slightly above the ground.

"You'll find a way out." Sid said, walking away from the scene.

"Wait!" Dart cried, but to no avail. His stomach growled. "Aw man, now I'm hungry."

Three months have passed since then. Things haven't changed much. Over time, Dart began to get used to Sid's mind games. Sort of. He sees them coming, but still gets caught off-guard by them most of the time.

Dart stood, stretching his legs out in a vacant lot in Death City that was going to be demolished soon. It was a straight, open street that went on for at least half of a mile.

"Get from here to the end of the street. I'll be timing you." Sid said, pointing straight ahead.

"No tricks? No crocodiles, or booby traps? None?" Dart asked. It wasn't normal for Sid to plan an assignment so… Mundane.

"Nope. No tricks. Get to the end. We'll see how far your training in parkour has gotten you." Sid said, in his usual stern voice.

"That's a relief. Anytime you're ready, Mr. Barett." Dart said, with a wide, toothy grin.

"Three… Two… One…." Sid, placed his thumb on top of a stopwatch. "_GO!_" Sid cried. With that, Dart bolted. The only thing he could hear was his summer sandals clomping on the ground as he sprinted.

As he ran, Dart began to feel the need to spice things up. Doing the same thing for long periods of time wasn't really his style. Once he had hit his terminal velocity in running speed, he began to take small hops, then jumps, continuously jumping higher and higher until he was practically bouncing on a trampoline. On the final jump, he did a flip, purely for the sake of being flashy, and landed on one of the rooftops on the right of the street.

_Nailed it! _Dart thought to himself confidently. He began running and jumping once more, quickly regaining speed.

"Hook, line, and sinker." Sid thought to himself as he looked at Dart through a pair of binoculars. From his pocket, he pulled a switch with a single button on it. "Tsk tsk, Dart. Shouldn't have forgotten rule number two." Nonchalantly, Sid pressed the button, watching, wondering how his pupil would handle this.

_FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH  
_

In an instant, everything turned bright. Dart could no longer feel his feet on the roof, he was tumbling aimlessly in the air. For a moment, Dart could see one of the empty buildings in flames, raging with fire.

"No tricks my ass!" Dart muttered to himself. He flipped through the air a few more times before finally touching the hard cement on the street, thankfully landing on his feet. Of course Sid would try to throw him off. Nevertheless, Dart began to run, determined to get to the end.

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM_

Multiple explosions echoed throughout the area, coming from practically everywhere. The road, the buildings, and even the lampposts were rigged with explosives. The flames scorched Dart's clothes and singed his skin, but he shut his eyes tight, and ran through the smoke and flames, coughing and wheezing all the way through.

'_Just… Keep… Running!' _He thought. It had to be almost over! He could see the end within view when-

_CRAAAAAAAASH_

Chunks of debris went flying everywhere onto the street, blocking the way ahead. Dart immediately turned behind him. Fire was everywhere. Turning back wasn't an option. Then it struck him. Maybe he could clear a path through the debris? It was worth a shot.

"H_aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" _Dart let out a desperate roar as he ran towards the remains of the building in front of him. In the moment, his right hand began to illuminate with some sort of faint electricity. "What the…" While running, Dart took a moment to look at his hand. It was only his lucky guess on what it could do, but luck was what he needed right now.

With his right palm back, Dart was only a few feet away from the debris. The cackling electricity still surrounded his hand. Skidding to a halt, he shut his eyes as tight as he could, and slammed his palm against the ruins of the building.

_CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH_

Once more, Dart heard a loud, echoing noise, but this time, it didn't come from an explosion. Whatever he had just done, it had scattered the debris everywhere, making a clear path for him to continue on. It had felt as if a burst of air had come from his palm, and dispersed immediately afterwards. He could no longer feel the shocking feeling in his palm.

"There it is!" Dart could see the end of the street at last. His legs began to run so fast that it almost felt like he was gliding on the ground. "_YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"_ Dart's fast sprinting turned into a slow jog as he could see the sign where the street ended.

Once he had reached the sign, he let out a slow whistle. "So… What now?" He said, thinking out loud. Whipping out a walkie-talkie from his pocket, he began speaking into it.

"All done… Over." Dart began, nearly forgetting the 'over'.

"_Four minutes, twenty-four seconds, over." _Sid's voice was staticy over the walkie-talkie as he spoke.

"Nice, that's a good score, um, right? ...Over." Dart asked sheepishly.

"_It's a decent score. Over." _Not good, not great, just average. Dart shrugged. He could live with that.

"_Dart. I have to ask you a question. Over." _Sid began. It sounded important.

"Yeah? ….O-over." Dart said, tension rising in his gut.

"_Can you identify what you did back there? Over." _Dart immediately knew what Sid was talking about. That 'thing' he did with his palm.

"You mean… That? I- uh… Really don't know… Over." Dart scratched his head, thinking. Was it some supernatural force? Maybe his hand was secretly robotic? Dart could come up with as many crazy theories as he wanted to, none of them made sense.

"_Just my intuition speaking here, but that was definitely something called 'Soul Force'. Heard of it? Over." _For once, Sid sounded genuinely interested in something concerning Dart.

Dart bit his lip, slightly embarrassed. "Nope. Never heard of it… Over."

"_It's a technique that can pierce through the body and attack the soul directly. Can you do it now? Over."_

"Just a sec… Over." Dart shoved his walkie-talkie in his pocket and assumed a fighting stance.

"Soul Force!" Dart shoved his right palm forward. Nothing.

"_Soul Force." _Dart tried it again with his left palm. Again, nothing. Dart sighed, and pulled out his walkie-talkie again.

"Yeaaah… No luck. ...Over." Dart shamefully admitted.

"_You'll get the hang of it someday. We can grab some lunch at Death Donalds. See ya there. Over." _Dart took a breath. He could quell his feelings of disappointment with burgers and fries.

**AN: So, this basically details what kind of 'training' Dart went through before the timeskip. The next chapter will take place post-timeskip with Dart and Alice meeting. Also, are the use of sound effects (boom, crash, fwoosh, whatever) alright? I feel kind of weird using them.**


	5. The curtains rise! A match made in hell?

_Two years._ Alice had spent two years devoting her life to becoming an elite weapon, She was no longer the unsure, nervous twelve year old arriving at Death City. She was fourteen now, and things were going to be different. She was sure of it. Before she left her apartment, she made sure everything was in order.

She looked in the mirror. Was her hair perfectly straight? Alice smirked as she looked at herself. Check. Next, she activated her partial transformation, morphing her arm into a blade. Was it spotless and shiny? Check, and check.

Then, she changed out of her light-blue polka dot pajamas, and into her DWMA attire. A simple green shirt with Death's insignia on it, and a pair of beige shorts. Not too fashionable, but it got the job done. She stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at the parking lot.

Alice sighed. "Time isn't going to slow down for me. It's my 'big day' after all." Alice took a breath. Although she put on a mask of confidence and professionality, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She went back inside, and walked out of her apartment room and down the stairs of the building, carrying a light backpack.

The walk to the bus stop was a short one, taking only about three minutes. It was on the border of the city, where in front of you, one could see miles of desert, and behind you, Death City stood, in all it's, ahem, 'glory'.

It appeared, however, that Alice wasn't the first one to the bus stop. Someone else, much to her disappointment, was already there. He had shaggy, somewhat spiky hair, and some cheap-looking grey leather jacket.

_Hmph. Typical 'cool-kid'. We'll see how far he makes it without dying. _Alice glared briefly at the teen, before turning towards the street, awaiting the bus.

"So… Where you headed?" The teen spoke up from behind. Was he trying to start conversation?

"You're not making this any less awkward." Alice dismissed him quickly, not even bothering to turn around.

"Y-yeah, no biggie, I mean, I've been in tons of awkward situations before, you?" He asked. Whoever he was, he seemed awfully determined to make friends.

"..." Alice didn't reply. It was then that she heard the loud, obnoxious humming of an engine nearby. _Oh thank god… _Alice thought. She tapped her foot, it would be only seconds now before it arrived.

"Oh, hey, it's the bus! Catch ya later… Uh, what was your name again?" The teen asked, quite obviously embarrassed, scratching his head and avoiding eye contact.

"Alice Robinson." She blurted out. _Damn!_ Alice thought. The only reason she had told him was out of pure instinct; in her younger years, whenever an adult asked her name, she was to respond. She quickly pushed past the teen and hopped onto the bus, desperate to find a seat. All the front seats were reserved for someone else or taken, so she was forced towards the back, with all of the social outcasts. At the very back of the bus, Alice could see it. An open, unoccupied seat. She wasted no time in jumping on the seat, securing it.

The ride was only about twelve minutes or so, but it felt like ages to Alice. The embodiment of obnoxious was contained on that bus. Cramped, unsanitary, loud, _everything_ seemed out to annoy Alice that morning. But at least that irritating boy was gone, hopefully.

Students crammed to the front of the bus, stampeding upon themselves. The bus driver of course, did nothing to correct this behavior. Alice sighed, and slowly moved up the long line leading to the exit of the bus. She puffed her chest out as she took those last few steps off the bus. Her 'strong and confident' personality was no longer a facade. It was a reality.

* * *

"FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! OOOOOONE! _ZEEEEEEERO!" _Dart and several other students chanted as the bus had finally reached the grand academy. Dart raised two triumphant fists in the air as the bus's destination had finally been reached, the grand academy, the DWMA. As soon as he jolted out of his seat to reach the academy, he was pushed back by dozens of other students who intended to do the same. There was no way he could be held back, not by this. He took a deep breath, stretching his muscles. His mother always said, if you want something done right, you have to do it _forcefully._ _Here we go!_ Dart thought.

"Sorry! Comin' through! My bad! 'Scuse me! My bad! Sorry! Whoops…" Dart shoved his way past the aggravated wave of students on the bus apologetically. Dart had to admit, he couldn't help but feel a _little_ guilty. As soon as his foot touched the cement, he felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It had been two years since he had actually been to the DWMA, when he first arrived. He almost zoned out entirely had it not been for the crowd of students trampling over him. He came back to his senses, and joined the charge towards the academy with the other students.

_If there was one thing Sid taught me, it was to choose your friends wisely…_ Dart thought as he rubbed his chin, studying the various cliques. It took only moments for Dart to spot them. The outlandish, designer clothes. Those shiny, fancy cell phones. The ever-so gaudy makeup and piercings. People flocked to them like sheep to the shepherds. They were the fabled 'cool kids'. Dart bit his lip to prevent himself from saying something stupid. Being a homeschooled child, Dart himself never got to experience the joys of these strange kinds of cliques and groups. Most of his knowledge of such groups came from cheesy sitcoms. Today could be his lucky break!

_Alright Dart… Think of something clever, something witty! Wow them with your charm! _Dart thought. He put on a smirk to mask his own nervousness, and began walking over to the cool kids. There was five of them, all hanging by a broken-down bench. He looked down at his clothes one last time. A dark-grey leather jacket, a crimson t-shirt with the design of a bright red target. Underneath those were some plain black sweatpants and some worn blue sneakers. He gave himself a mental thumbs-up before continuing to approach the group.

* * *

"...And so anyways, I was like-" A girl with a rather ridiculous mohawk began speaking, before quickly being cut off.

"H-hey guys! 'Sup!" An outsider cried. The whole group turned to face the outsider with judgemental eyes. "Here me out, alright?" The outsider cleared his throat.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" He asked, looking left and right at the reactions of the group.

"Well, that's because… _Nobody knows_." His voice turned grim.

"The chicken was never heard or seen from again. And to this day… there are still rumors that the chicken is still crossing that very same road to this day…Good one, amirite?" The outsider laughed out loud to himself, and the rest of the clique let out delayed, nervous laughs.

_This guy can't be for-real… _A boy with oversized shades and a mullet glared at the rest of the group, communicating through eye-contact.

_You guys aren't thinking it, are you…? _Another girl with nose piercings and no hair whatsoever looked at her fellow clique members, raising an eyebrow.

_Nah, nah, hold on. I got this. Just watch. _Replied the boy with the oversized sunglasses, smirking.

"Yeah heh-heh… Good one… You should come hang out with us, actually… After school, same spot, right here. Sound good with you?" The clique leader asked, with a plainly devious look in his eyes.

"S-Sounds great! I'll uh, catch you guys later!" The outsider did a quick wave of the hand, and ran in the other direction, blissfully unaware of what truly conspired.

* * *

Alice shook her head and smirked. "You poor bastard…" She had witnessed the whole thing. _Serves him right…_ She thought bitterly. Just as she was about to return to minding her own business, the morning bell rung, and the students flooded into the front doors, like moths to a flame. She cursed silently to herself before reluctantly making her way through the crowd.

The hours and classes seemed to fly by so quickly as the day dragged on, not that Dart really minded. He had waited for a chance like this for a long time. The teachers and staff were pretty merciful to new students, but he just figured they would get strict by next week. It was pretty nice to get with a clique on the first day, so he considered himself lucky. Oddly enough though, they didn't really talk to or associate with him in any way. He dismissed it as shyness and went on with his day.

"**Hello? Is this thing working? Good. We hope you enjoyed your first day at the academy! PEACE!**" Lord Death's, erm… 'Remarkable' voice echoed throughout the school on the intercom. Dart blinked, returning to reality after zoning out for nearly an entire class. He grabbed his backpack, and made his way out of the school as slowly as possible, hoping he looked cool enough.

_I already introduced myself, the rest should be a stroll in the park… I hope._ Dart put on a not-so-confident smile as he inched his way out of the school's exit. Outside of the school, he went to one of the 'quieter' corners where he met the clique.

"Huh…" Dart scratched his head in mild confusion. "Nobody's here…" He said, staring down at the broken-down bench. "Probably just showing up fashionably late…" He falsely assured himself. To distract himself, Dart stared at the sky, bored. It was a nice shade of orange, and the sun had already begun to set, snoring rather loudly. Dart snickered at it, before quickly mentally apologizing.

"Ahem," Dart quickly looked down from the sky to see someone standing in front of him. Something about her seemed oddly familiar.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but your 'friends' left you." She said, sparing no details.

"W-what?! C'mon, they wouldn't ditch me…" He replied defensively.

"Okay then, riddle me this. Where _did_ they go?" The girl retorted.

"Oh, that's easy. They're um, uh…"

"Please, continue. I'm waiting for an answer." The girl seemed to take increasing pleasure in Dart's own misfortune.

"...Alright, ya got me. But I don't get it… Where'd I go wrong?" He asked, greatly disappointed.

"For starters, you're about as cool as a burning house' Now, excuse me, I must be going now..." She replied, with brutal honesty. Who was she? It wasn't that long ago… Her name… What was it?

"I-I remember!" Dart cried suddenly. The girl turned her head, looking rather unamused.

"You're Alice, right? Alice Robinson? I was the guy from the bus stop earlier today. I'm Dart D. Cay, meister!" He said with a grin, proudly flashing his button labeled 'meister'.

"...Yes, that's me. I'm a weapon." She said, conducting herself in a stoic and business-like manner. It was actually somewhat intimidating how calm she looked.

* * *

"Aw no way!" Dart exclaimed, faking surprise. "So uh…" Dart looked to the side, twiddling his fingers together nervously. "Wanna be partners?" He asked on a whim.

_Alice, say no. It's simple. A word. N-O. Deny. Abort. Anything, please! _Alice thought, still keeping her stoic image on the outside.

"I, um…Sure. Fine." Alice replied.

_What is WRONG with you?!_ Alice inwardly facepalmed.

"Wha- really?! Thanks! I'll make it worth your while!" He said, bursting with joy. He quickly shook Alice's hand, with a smile that seemed too big to be real. He ran off, but not before giving a quick wave to Alice.

"To think… I'll be sharing a room with him. Brrgh…" Alice shuddered, closed her book, and began the long walk to her dorm.

**AN: Hey guys, hoped you liked this chapter. Anyways, I realize the interpretation of the clique was kind of outdated, and I guess it was supposed to be more of a shallow parody of the 'cool kid' stereotype. I also want to emphasize character flaws, IE: Dart's a nice guy, but he's a new level of socially awkward, or Alice is smart and witty, but also cynical and rude to others. After the next chapter, I want to introduce three new characters, making for a full cast of five characters. Their intro chapters are probably going to be shorter, so you don't have to worry about the beginning dragging on. Also, what do you think about the use of music in fanfiction? Do they add to the emotions, or just serve as a distraction?**


	6. Intro: Julian Leone

"Ha! Anyways, I pretty much beat the shit out of the guy, and he ran! What a wuss, amirite?" An arrogant teen with slicked-back blonde hair and an expensive white jacket and pants strutted throughout the hallway with a sizeable posse following behind him, listening to his every word closely. The lights in the hallway grew brighter as he walked by, the floors gleamed with shininess as his polished shoes stepped over them.

_This, ladies, gentlemen, students, and the like, is Julian Leone, a one-star weapon; a plasma whip. Does he have the skills to match his ego? No, no he does not._

"H-hey! Excuse me!" A rather pathetic-looking senior student stopped in front of the group. He had a plastic badge that read 'HALL MONITOR' not-so-subtly written in permanent marker.

"No swearing in the halls! Do you wish to show disrespect to the name of Lord Death?!" He cried, clearly passionate about his duty.

"_Riiiight._ Sorry sir, my bad. Won't happen again, pal." He said, patting the hall monitor on the back in a very obvious sarcastic manner.

"Are you sassing me, junior?" The hall monitor yelled, growing flustered.

"Of course I ain't sassing you, that would be disrespect to Lord Death's _pwecious name." _Leone said, leaning in close to the hall monitor with that sort-of 'come-at-me-bro' look on his face.

"Detention! Report to the Death Room _immediately!_" The hall monitor shrieked, slapping a hall pass on his face.

"Hey! We ain't done! I can't just take this standing down, alright? Ain't that right… Guys?" Julian turned around, and everyone had left.

* * *

"I'm really sorry teach. Won't happen again. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my-" He profusely apologized, knowing that Lord Death wasn't exactly the strict type.

"It's fine, don't worry about it! Just please, _try_ not to let it happen again. You are dismissed." Julian nodded, and began to walk out of the Death Room.

"Actually, while you're still here, there's something I need to talk to you about…" Julian froze in his tracks, sweating up a storm. He forced his body to turn around and face the headmaster.

"Y-yeah sure… What is it, teach?" Julian barely managed to spit it out. He was standing tall, but his legs were quivering.

"It's about your record…" Lord Death pulled a file from his cloak and read it over.

"You have collected exactly… Let's see… Zero impure souls out of ninety-nine. In the timespan of six months."

"..."

"So, uh, what's today's lunch special?" Julian asked, staring at the clouds in the Death Room.

"Gyros and onion rings, why do you ask?" Lord Death tilted his head.

"I'm just really h-hungry, y'know, sir? Anyways good chat, 'kaythanksbye-" Julian said, powerwalking out of the Death Room.

"Wait a second!" Lord Death reached his arm across the room and grabbed Julian, bringing him back to the center of the room. "I see what you're trying to pull, mister!" Lord Death huffed. "You just tried to change the subject and leave didn't you?!" Lord Death poked his oversized finger onto Julian's nose, pestering him.

"Nooo, of course not sir! It just, uh, slipped my mind is all!" He insisted, trying to sound friendly as possible. _Dammit he's onto me…_ He thought.

"Now, may we continue where we left off?" Lord Death asked, still slightly miffed.

Leone gulped. "Y-yes sir, no problem-o here…"

"I know this is kind of hard to take in, but you have to get some work done sometime. You can't just float around the academy and do nothing, you know. It takes up dorm space! If you don't do anything, we'll just have to expel you!" Lord Death lectured in the politest way he could.

"..." Julian bit his lip for a moment.

"_Whaddya mean I can't just stay here?!"_ He bursted into waterworks within moments.

"_C'mon man, listen! It's scary out there! Murderers, serial killers! They're insane! Pleeease listen!" _Julian cried, pleading.

Lord Death cocked his head. "Couldn't you just go home then?"

"_I can't go home! I'm cool here! I love it here!" _He wailed.

"Well this is certainly… Conflicting. You want to stay in this academy?" Leone nodded, whimpering.

"Then we'll just pair you up with a meister then!" Lord Death suggested.

"But I'm scared…" He blubbered.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything'll go fine. You're dismissed now."

"O-okay…" Julian sulked out of the Death Room, his ego depleted.

* * *

"Dude, your face is all red, what happened?" A taller boy asked, part of Julian's posse.

"Lord Death spilled tomato paste all over my face, w-what a clumsy guy, huh?" Julian quickly rebounded, barely piecing his facade back together.

**AN: Yup. This is the new character. Like always, feel free to share your comments, critiques, questions, etc.**


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